Cold weather leads to chimney fires

Published: Friday, October 25, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, October 24, 2013 at 10:40 p.m.

A fire sparked in the flue of a wood-burning stove, spread into the attic and destroyed a home in Mills River Thursday morning, igniting a reminder for others to have chimneys inspected before firing them up.

Fireplaces or wood stoves look more inviting as cool temperatures settle in, but the eye may not see the flammable creosote that builds up inside a chimney. Once creosote is ignited, the fire can spread from the walls of the chimney to the walls of a home within minutes, according to firefighters who are urging residents to have their chimneys checked.

A homeowner on Alexander Drive in Mills River placed wood in his woodstove and left for work around 8 a.m. “After he left, a chimney fire started in the flue pipe,” said Mills River Fire Chief Rick Livingston. “It spread into the attic.”

No one was at home at the time and the blaze went unchecked until a highway patrolman saw smoke when he was driving down N.C. Highway 280.

The patrolman turned down Alexander Drive to investigate and found the fire. He reported it to dispatch and ran inside to check for anyone inside. When firefighters with the Mills River Fire Department arrived, the blaze had burned through the roof.

“It was quite a challenge to bring it under control without losing the entire home,” Livingston said. “The sad part about a lot of the fires we go to is the fact that there are a lot of folks out there that burn wood in a wood stove or others that think chimney fires are nothing to worry about… This is another example that that is far from the truth.”

Twenty-five percent of the home suffered heavy fire damage. The rest of the home was damaged by smoke.

“We just want to remind people, please, please be very careful and cautious,” Livingston said, urging others to have chimney pipes and stoves cleaned on a regular basis and checked at least twice a year. Stoves and chimneys should be checked by certified professionals, he said, especially before they are used and during the colder weather when they are used most often.

People are also reminded to open their flues before burning in their chimneys or stoves. A home was filled with smoke in the Valley Hill Fire District Wednesday after a homeowner accidentally forgot to open the flue to his chimney before burning a chimney sweeping log.

Although there are logs, sprays and granules which advertise self-cleaning and creosote removal, most packages also say the products are not a replacement for annual chimney sweeping. The products may not be 100 percent effective, Livingston added.

He reminds residents never to burn green wood or soft wood products, like pine, cardboard and paper, which can lead to more creosote.

Creosote is a corrosive and combustible substance that gums up the inside walls of a chimney and stove pipe as wood products are burned in a fireplace or wood stove. The built-up soot can hinder proper ventilation and catch fire within a chimney flue.

Livingston encourages people to only burn seasoned hardwood that has been cut for at least a year and to make sure smoke detectors in the home are working. Wednesday’s chimney fire call was his department’s first for the season.

The family on Alexander Drive is being helped by the American Red Cross. Mills River firefighters had the blaze under control in about 15 minutes.

The Mills River Fire & Rescue department can provide smoke detectors for those in their community who are unable to purchase them. Firefighters have also helped install smoke alarms for those with mobility challenges.

Other safety tips provided by the National Fire Prevention Association include:

- Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove or portable space heater.

- Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.

- Never use your oven to heat your home.

- Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.

- Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.

- Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel-burning space heaters.

- Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.

<p>A fire sparked in the flue of a wood-burning stove, spread into the attic and destroyed a home in Mills River Thursday morning, igniting a reminder for others to have chimneys inspected before firing them up.</p><p>Fireplaces or wood stoves look more inviting as cool temperatures settle in, but the eye may not see the flammable creosote that builds up inside a chimney. Once creosote is ignited, the fire can spread from the walls of the chimney to the walls of a home within minutes, according to firefighters who are urging residents to have their chimneys checked.</p><p>A homeowner on Alexander Drive in Mills River placed wood in his woodstove and left for work around 8 a.m. “After he left, a chimney fire started in the flue pipe,” said Mills River Fire Chief Rick Livingston. “It spread into the attic.”</p><p>No one was at home at the time and the blaze went unchecked until a highway patrolman saw smoke when he was driving down N.C. Highway 280.</p><p>The patrolman turned down Alexander Drive to investigate and found the fire. He reported it to dispatch and ran inside to check for anyone inside. When firefighters with the Mills River Fire Department arrived, the blaze had burned through the roof.</p><p>“It was quite a challenge to bring it under control without losing the entire home,” Livingston said. “The sad part about a lot of the fires we go to is the fact that there are a lot of folks out there that burn wood in a wood stove or others that think chimney fires are nothing to worry about… This is another example that that is far from the truth.”</p><p>Twenty-five percent of the home suffered heavy fire damage. The rest of the home was damaged by smoke.</p><p>“We just want to remind people, please, please be very careful and cautious,” Livingston said, urging others to have chimney pipes and stoves cleaned on a regular basis and checked at least twice a year. Stoves and chimneys should be checked by certified professionals, he said, especially before they are used and during the colder weather when they are used most often.</p><p>People are also reminded to open their flues before burning in their chimneys or stoves. A home was filled with smoke in the Valley Hill Fire District Wednesday after a homeowner accidentally forgot to open the flue to his chimney before burning a chimney sweeping log.</p><p>Although there are logs, sprays and granules which advertise self-cleaning and creosote removal, most packages also say the products are not a replacement for annual chimney sweeping. The products may not be 100 percent effective, Livingston added.</p><p>He reminds residents never to burn green wood or soft wood products, like pine, cardboard and paper, which can lead to more creosote.</p><p>Creosote is a corrosive and combustible substance that gums up the inside walls of a chimney and stove pipe as wood products are burned in a fireplace or wood stove. The built-up soot can hinder proper ventilation and catch fire within a chimney flue.</p><p>Livingston encourages people to only burn seasoned hardwood that has been cut for at least a year and to make sure smoke detectors in the home are working. Wednesday's chimney fire call was his department's first for the season.</p><p>The family on Alexander Drive is being helped by the American Red Cross. Mills River firefighters had the blaze under control in about 15 minutes.</p><p>The Mills River Fire & Rescue department can provide smoke detectors for those in their community who are unable to purchase them. Firefighters have also helped install smoke alarms for those with mobility challenges.</p><p>Other safety tips provided by the National Fire Prevention Association include:</p><p>- Keep anything that can burn at least three feet away from heating equipment, like the furnace, fireplace, wood stove or portable space heater.</p><p>- Have a three-foot “kid-free zone” around open fires and space heaters.</p><p>- Never use your oven to heat your home.</p><p>- Have heating equipment and chimneys cleaned and inspected every year by a qualified professional.</p><p>- Remember to turn portable heaters off when leaving the room or going to bed.</p><p>- Always use the right kind of fuel, specified by the manufacturer, for fuel-burning space heaters.</p><p>- Make sure the fireplace has a sturdy screen to stop sparks from flying into the room. Ashes should be cool before putting them in a metal container. Keep the container a safe distance away from your home.</p><p>- Test smoke alarms monthly.</p><p>Reach Weaver at Emily.weaver@blueridgenow.com or 828-694-7867.</p>